Editor fired

Like I said, I just think it was out of frustration. I think most people on here would say that their small papers often take one step forward and then one step back ...

 

Plus, from what I remember, she has spent time at smaller papers ... if that statement had been made by someone without that small paper experience, I think it would be different.

 

I don't think people were jumping down her throat. Understand that a lot of people here work at small papers, and either a) they do good work, or b) the paper sucks ass, but the poster is trying to change that, at least in sports (we'll assume that someone who proudly works at a paper run by advertisers isn't the type to come to a site like this).

I'll say this: if Mizzougrad or someone like him said it, the reaction would be markedly sharper. What that says, I'm not sure.

And I've worked at four small papers, some daily, some not. Some do good work. Some don't. But without modifying it, her comment comes off as disdainful, even if her antedoctal evidence gives her a circumstantial foundation from which to launch her rockets.

 

Note to self: don't post before morning coffee.

Poor choice of words on my part, but I don't take back my assertions. Some of you know I currently work in BFE, but I've been a stringer at larger papers and have worked with major metros in a PR capacity.

Having worked in PR and at smaller papers, the line between the two is so fuzzy. And it's frustrating. A paper has to have the right people who have the right mindset to pull it off. Many don't. Many operate as if paralyzed by fear. And that's not journalism.

 

Cadet was right on. This is the small-town writer's worst nightmare, that he/she will piss off the wrong advertiser. Making it worse is the fact that most small-town publishers ascend from the advertising side and lean toward favoring that side of the building.

 

what/where is BFE?

 

I'm M.E. (started in sports) at a 6k community daily with a coverage area population of about 20k. While we have plenty of fluff, we certainly don't shy away from the hard stuff, including dealing with the state A.G. on open records requests from the school district and the police department. We did a series on racial tensions following a double murder in town that plenty of biz-folk voiced their displeasure with, took an unpopular editorial stance on a school bond vote and called for the city manager to step down over a DWI scandal. How is any of that less-legitimate journalism than you would see at the big, bad metro?


And don't think for a second that the same kind of pressure from advertisers couldn't and hasn't influenced editorial coverage at some metros?

 

Bum-fuck Egypt ... it's an expression for the sticks.

 

You've got a point there, but generally speaking, the larger the paper the more immune it is to the "kill the story or we pull advertising pressure." Face, a larger paper can say, OK, pull the advertising. A paper the size of the one in Griffin is in a difficult position that way.

 

gotcha, thanks

it's an interesting topic ...

I started out stringing college basketball and football for $40 a story at the 12,000-15,000 daily in the small town where I was going to college. there was a reporter there who did an expose on the government agency that regulates gas stations - I guess the guys that put those stickers on the pumps - after discovering irregularities in the inspections. i was awfully impressed that a little daily in a sleepy little Midwest town was doing work like that. it was damn inspiring. there was pressure from local advertisers - i forget exactly who was offended or affected or pissed - but the paper never backed off that sort of thing in the future and is still around and still doing good work.

there are a lot of those little dailies all over the country doing excellent stuff.

 

It might be worth making a distinction about digging into government activity and negative stories -- true though they may be -- regarding private citizens who happen to be business owners/advertisers. Face it, nobody is sympathetic to the government. But a local business owner plays golf with other local business owners. Than can collude to put the paper out of business. That's tremendous pressure for a small-town newsroom to face.

 

definitely. but in small towns, local government is often the same as local business. that was the case in the story i referenced. i can't remember the details, but there was a direct family connection between the inspector and I think a major auto dealership in town.